Coach Soundar hopeful of a quick turnaround

Gokulam, too, marked its first match with a loss to Shillong Lajong. However, Soundar has guarded his team against complacency and urged them to shed their lethargy, which he blamed for the opening round setback.

“My players took the opponent (Arrows) lightly and we paid the price. Our defending was not up to the mark and we were caught off guard on many occasions. We had many chances to score in the firsthalf, but our forwards couldn’t hit the bull’s eye. Another problem we faced was some of our foreign recruits arrived late and there was a delay in them adapting to our style,” explained the 54-year-old.

This season there is an added incentive for the I-League clubs to finish higher up the table as the top four teams will get a chance to play against the corresponding top four from the Indian Super League. “This is a good opportunity for many youngsters across all the 10 teams in I-League to work that much harder so that they can gauge their standard against some quality opposition. Our team has a nice blend of youth and experience. I’m confident that we will bounce back in style in our second game against Gokulam Kerala. Our aim is to occupy one of the top four slots,” added Soundar. 

Asked if shifting its base from Chennai to Coimbatore has deprived the club of a loyal fan base, Soundar replied that his team finds itself at home in Coimbatore. “I’m happy that ever since we moved out of Chennai, we were able to solely focus on the sport. We are away from all the distractions and I have no complaints about the facilities provided to us here. The ground has been revamped and the turf is in excellent condition. And as for support, we are grateful to the fans for turning out in large numbers to greet us and even catch a glimpse of our training sessions,” remarked the manager. 

With two-time champion Bengaluru FC deciding against continuing in I-League, there have been question marks over the relevance or the lack of it confronting the organisers. “We are not worried about what will unfold in future. The league still has established clubs in East Bengal and Mohun Bagan. My only goal is to ensure that Chennai City will have a season to savour,” said Soundar.